


Blood Red

by wodniw_a



Category: Dororo (Anime 2019)
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Hyakkimaru Is a Good Bro, Nightmares, One Shot, they're both trying their best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 12:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18249842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wodniw_a/pseuds/wodniw_a
Summary: Dororo dreams of fields of spider lilies that soak up the blood of fallen soldiers and a gentle smile on a body that wouldn't move. He suffers through long, lonely nights with tired eyes that wouldn't dare close and an empty, loathing feeling in his chest that came whenever dusk fell time and time again.





	Blood Red

Dororo liked to think that he had gotten over his nightmare phase. The phase where every second he'd be plagued with memories of his parents' death— his father collapsing with arrows in his legs, his mother lying with beautiful red flowers surrounding her— and he wouldn't dare sleep. Whenever he slept, he'd relive those moments over and over and when he'd wake up, sweaty and tense and crying, he'd force himself to stay awake as long as possible until he later collapsed from exhaustion.

But as the years passed and he grew older and stronger, the horrific dreams came to him less and less and had found himself sleeping more, dreaming peaceful dreams.

Hyakkimaru came to be a good distraction, his presence seemed to even be able to chase bad dreams away too. Plus, making sure the older boy actually ate properly cooked food and helping him whenever he can when Hyakkimaru fought helped keep his mind off of

And when they settled down for the night, the dying fire just a small ember clinging to the burnt-up logs and Hyakkimaru laying himself onto the floor of the forest they were wandering, Dororo looked forward to sleeping, looked forward to waking up the next morning with his mind thinking only of _what are we going to eat today_ , and _I wonder who or what we're going to encounter next_.

But as the older boy closed his eyes and curled his limbs into himself, his stature relaxing, Dororo felt his chest tighten and for the first time since their journeys first intertwined, he felt uneasy. He didn't want to sleep. So, he scooted closer to Hyakkimaru. The leaves and grass rustled under his body as he pressed himself to him and Dororo slipped his hand beneath Hyakkimaru's arm and curled his fingers around his waist, the other one drifting down to the other boy's prosthetic hand, grabbing it in a light hold.

As if sensing his nervous mood, Hyakkimaru shifted his head until his nose was resting in his hair. His arm, which had originally sat on his hip, curled into Dororo's back and pressed him closer.

The body heat lulled the young kid into a light slumber, but the close embrace was no match for the horrific memories and regrets that haunted him in the past.

_There was blood at his feet, staining his skin crimson red, the liquid flowing by him like a peaceful river that stretch along his vision, like a wide-open sea. Drifting along the quickly growing ocean were white spider lilies, bobbing and moving. They slowly turned scarlet, one bumping against his leg._

_As he stared at it, a thin hand reached towards it and picked it up. He followed the hand as it rose, turning to his right to see his mother with her long, spiky brown hair and fierce yet somehow also soft eyes. Her skin was pale, face gaunt and eyes tired but she still looked beautiful._

_She raised the spider lily to her face, sniffed it and looked up to smile at him. Her lips parted and her voice barely escaped her mouth before an arrow suddenly impaled itself in her neck and she fell to the ground as if she was boneless. When Dororo looked down, he saw her laying in a field of bright red spider lilies soaked with her blood. Her mouth opened again and with a scratchy, raspy, unfamiliar voice, she whispered, "It's your fault." And everything disintegrated into into the wiry petals of those tragically beautiful flowers._

_He could only stand there in silent horror as they blew in the sudden harsh winds, engulfing his vision and staining everything in inky black darkness._

And when he opened his eyes, Dororo saw looming trees and the rising sun and Hyakkimaru's face, his eyebrows lowered as he mumbled, "Dororo...?" And gently touched Dororo's face, wooden fingertips brushing along his cheek, trailing up to his bottom eyelid.

Dororo flinched as he realized he was crying. He shuffled away, face growing hot as he wiped furiously at his eyes, trying to reassure the other boy that he was, in fact, not crying. Not at all. The great thief Dororo never cried. "I'm alright, Aniki!"

"Dororo... cry," Hyakkimaru muttered, "Why?"

The boy in question shakily stood up, brushed the dirt from his torn kimono and beamed in response, "It... It was nothing! Just a stupid little nightmare, is all." He rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

Hyakkimaru sat there for a moment, his fake brown eyes boring holes into Dororo. He then cautiously raised his arms and grabbed his hips. Dororo yelped as the other boy tugged him down carefully into his lap. Hyakkimaru then hugged him tightly, his chin resting on his head. "Dororo... don't cry..." He whispered.

Dororo tried to pull away, but Hyakkimaru just held him tighter. So, Dororo leaned into him, the waterworks bursting as he began to sob into the other boys chest. His hands clenched feebly at his kimono, as he began wailing out the reasons as to _why_ he was crying. Although his voice was thick and nasally and barely comprehendible, he ranted on and on and on and Hyakkimaru nodded along.

"—And I just want to see mama and papa again!" Dororo finished, his throat sore and a headache easing itself onto his temple.

"Can't bring them... back... but... you have... me..." Hyakkimaru soothed, pressing him closer, feeling like the closest thing he's had to a brother, or even a parent, in a long time.

And Dororo lifted his head, smiled a wide, teary grin and exclaimed, "Yeah, aniki."

**Author's Note:**

> I really love Dororo and Hyakkimaru's relationship :') Although he's younger, Dororo kinda seems like his big bro lol.
> 
> Also! Yes, I know Dororo is a girl but I refer to him as male here, it's because everyone else thinks he's a guy and the wiki says he identifies as male. So, I'm gonna refer to him as such.
> 
> Anyways, this kinda sucks but thanks for reading anyways!


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